Department for Transport

Transport: South Oxfordshire

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to work with South Oxfordshire District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Network Rail to improve (1) cycling, (2) railway services, and (3) bus services, in the South Oxfordshire district; and whether they expect the delivery of any such improvementsto precede the construction of new homes in the district.

baroness vere of norbiton: Government works with all key partners across the country, including local authorities within Oxfordshire and with Network Rail, in ensuring consideration is given to appropriate sustainable transport modes, in particular, where there are planned housing developments. There is a requirement for local authorities to include any proposals in their local plans. There is a requirement in the National Planning Policy Framework for local authorities to ensure that transport issues are considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and development proposals. In planning for new settlements this involves ensuring that opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport use are identified and pursued. Plans are also prepared with the active involvement of local highways authorities, other transport infrastructure providers and operators and neighbouring councils, so that strategies and investments for supporting sustainable transport and development patterns are aligned.

Roads: Oxfordshire

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the expected levels of use, and (2) the expected increase in carbon emissions of (a) the proposed Culham Thames bridge, and (b) a road link connecting the A34 to the M40; and what progress has been made in respect of these developments.

baroness vere of norbiton: The responsibility for any assessment of levels of use and increases of carbon emissions for these proposals would lie with the local highway authority, Oxfordshire County Council.

Cowley Branch Railway Line

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore the Cowley Branch railway line for passenger services; what stations any such services would serve; what is their timetable for developing any such plans; and what assessment they have made of the impact restoring the line for passenger services would have on carbon emissions.

baroness vere of norbiton: A study of the rail corridors in Oxfordshire has been undertaken by Network Rail in partnership with the Department for Transport and local stakeholders led by the Oxfordshire Growth Board. The scope of the study has included the possibility of reopening the line between Oxford and Cowley for passenger services, with two new stations serving the Oxford Business and Science Park. The work undertaken to date has not included an assessment of the impact on carbon emissions. The Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study will be published this Spring, and further development work on reopening the Cowley line will be progressed in accordance with the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.

Railways: Culham

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the railway services at Culham to support the proposed increase in housing in the area; what assessment they have made of the impact of an increase in railway services at Culham on carbon emissions; and whether they expect any such improvements to rail services will precede the construction of new homes in the area.

baroness vere of norbiton: A study of the rail corridors in Oxfordshire has been undertaken by Network Rail in partnership with the Department for Transport and local stakeholders led by the Oxfordshire Growth Board. The scope of the study has included an assessment of the demand for train services to and from Oxfordshire stations, including Culham, taking account of planned housing growth contained within existing Local Plans. The Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study will be published this Spring, and the outcomes will be progressed in accordance with the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline. The work undertaken to date has not included an assessment of the impact on carbon emissions of any proposals, which is because the limit of the study work was to produce a train service specification to meet forecast demand, understand the existing capacity shortfall and the infrastructure interventions that might be required in order to meet that specification.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Costs

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 11 February (HL Deb, col 2153), whether the projected cost for the first phase of HS2 includes the capital cost of rolling stock, provision of power supply, and infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance facilities.

baroness vere of norbiton: The projected costs for HS2 (phase 1) are inclusive of the design and build of the rolling stock, the connections to the national grid for power supplies, and the infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance facility.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Cost Benefit Analysis

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the forthcoming cost benefit analysis for the first phase of HS2 will (1) include the construction of Euston station and approaches and, if so, for which design; (2) include consideration of the impact of adopting different design speeds; and (3) be based on (a) 14, or (b) 18, trains per hour in each direction.

baroness vere of norbiton: The forthcoming cost-benefit analysis which will inform the HS2 Phase One Full Business Case includes the construction of Euston station and its approaches based on the baseline design plans developed by HS2 Ltd. Government published the recommendations of the Independent ‘Oakervee’ Review on 11 February and it is now considering its formal response to these recommendations. Any decisions on the impact of different designs speeds and the number of trains that operate on the High Speed network will be reflected within the Business case.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Euston Station

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether their plans for new delivery arrangements for the Euston terminus for HS2 will affect their plans to publish a notice to proceed for Phase 1.

baroness vere of norbiton: Euston is a highly complex major programme in its own right, with a number of projects being developed within a confined space. Greater integration between the projects at Euston, via the establishment of a single plan and the establishment of a dedicated delivery vehicle for the Euston project, is essential to delivering the full benefits of the scheme. The new delivery arrangements which are being considered for the Euston terminus will not impact a decision on whether to issue a Notice to Proceed.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps need to be taken before they will issue a notice to proceed for the first phase of HS2; and (1) where, and (2) when, they expect construction to start.

baroness vere of norbiton: Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 11 February that the Government will proceed with HS2, the Final Business Case for the first phase of the scheme, between Birmingham and London, must now be formally approved ahead of the intended start of main construction works along the route in April 2020. The business case will set out the strategic importance of the scheme and allow a final decision by Government on its viability, affordability, achievability, deliverability and value for money. Approval of the case is as a pre-condition of HS2 Ltd issuing Notice-to-Proceed to its supply chain.

Railways: North of England

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the (1) scope, and (2) timescale, of the assessment to be conducted by the National Infrastructure Commission on integrated rail services for the north of England; and whether that assessment will include consideration of HS2 phase 2A.

baroness vere of norbiton: As set out in the Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and the North terms of reference, the National Infrastructure Commission will be looking at rail needs for the Midlands and North. As part of their assessment, the evidence base on what can be provided by Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 Phase 2b, Midlands Rail Hub and other major Network Rail projects will be examined. The Secretary of State for Transport intends to publish the Integrated Rail Plan, which will be informed by the NIC assessment, by the end of the year. Lessons learnt from Phase 1 and Phase 2a will be incorporated into the plan, but it will not reconsider Phase 2a.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Compulsory Purchase

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impactof the decision by the Upper Tribunal (Land Chamber) on 10 February, that owners of land and property being purchased by HS2 Ltd can apply for a Certificate of Appropriate Alternative Development, on the (1) capital cost, and (2) construction programme, of HS2.

baroness vere of norbiton: Certificates of Appropriate Alternative Development (‘CAADs’) are an existing mechanism enshrined in the Compensation Code that can assist in establishing the level of compensation payable to affected parties and have no impact on the construction schedule.The property cost estimate anticipates that some claimants will seek a CAAD and be issued with a positive certificate by the local planning authority or award of the Upper Tribunal.On the substance of this case, there is an on-going legal process and we do not provide commentary on live litigation.

Severn Tunnel

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipate that passenger trains using the Severn Tunnel will be regularly powered by electricity.

lord german: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the damage to the new overhead electric lines in the Severn Tunnel.

baroness vere of norbiton: As of the December 2019 timetable, Network Rail have been unable to successfully operate electric services in the Severn Tunnel due to contamination of overhead line insulators. This does not affect the benefits delivered by the December 2019 timetable, as the small journey time impact of running in diesel can be absorbed by the timetable. They have been working with Cardiff University to assess ways of mitigating the effects of the contamination and are installing electrical switching equipment to allow maintenance cleaning to be done more easily in the future. Testing will commence in Spring 2020, with an aim of commencing electric services before the end of 2020.

Railways: North of England

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their target dates for the completion of (1) HS2 phases 2A and 2B, and (2) the opening of high speed services on a new railway line between Manchester and Leeds.

baroness vere of norbiton: The opening of HS2 Phase One and Phase 2a will be aligned, with services expected to start between Old Oak Common, Birmingham and Crewe between 2029 and 2033. We expect services to start running from Euston between 2031 and 2036.High speed services between London and Manchester and Leeds would then expect to start between 2036 and 2040. However, the recently announced integrated rail plan is designed to explore how the benefits could be delivered more quickly and cost effectively.The opening date of the Manchester to Leeds line is not yet determined and will be assessed over the next year, as part of the Integrated Rail Plan and once route options have been finalised.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have given to (1) airlines, and (2) shipping companies, operating out of the UK on preventative measures they should take to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

baroness vere of norbiton: DfT is working closely with the transport sector and PHE to ensure that Port Health measures and health advice reflect the needs of the sector. DfT is in regular contact with Public Health England to ensure that the latest health guidance is made accessible to the transport sector. PHE and their counterparts in the devolved administrations are responsible for determining and publishing health advice in relation to Covid-19. On 14th February PHE published guidance for staff in the transport sector which was made available on the GOV.UK website. DfT will continue to work with PHE to ensure this remains up to date.

Roads: Safety

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the principles set out in the Stockholm Declaration, adopted by the Third Ministerial Global Conference on Road Safety in February; and in particular, changes to speed limits.

baroness vere of norbiton: The UK supports the aims of the Stockholm Declaration on road safety. The UK is already committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and already adopts a safe system approach to road safety. We recognise that speed limits play an important part in road safety, and we already encourage local authorities to consider 20 mph where it is appropriate

Aviation: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of airspace reforms on the tranquillity of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

baroness vere of norbiton: The airspace issues surrounding National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) were considered in the Department’s airspace and noise project. The outcome of this work was reflected in the Air Navigation Guidance 2017, which the department issued to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in October 2017. The guidance requires the CAA to have regard to the statutory purposes of National Parks and AONB when considering proposals for airspace changes. When airspace changes are being considered, it is important that local circumstances, including community views on specific areas that should be avoided, are taken into account where possible. However, given the finite amount of airspace available, it will not always be possible to avoid overflying National Parks or AONB.

Road Traffic Control

baroness wolf of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a local authority is obliged to (1) inform, and (2) formally consult, (a) the emergency services, (b) the police, (c) waste disposal services, (d) businesses, (e) other institutions such as charities or schools, and (f) residents in the areas that are directly affected,when itproposes the permanent closure of a road or a permanent restriction on its use by motorised traffic.

baroness vere of norbiton: Where a local authority wishes to close a road permanently, it is required to make a permanent traffic regulation order. A permanent order gives legal effect to the closure and any associated restrictions. The procedure for advertising and consulting on traffic regulation orders is set out in The Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. Before the order can come into force, the regulations require the authority to publish a “notice of proposals” concerning the intended closure in a newspaper circulating in the area. The authority is also required to "take such other steps as it may consider appropriate for ensuring that adequate publicity about the order is given to persons likely to be affected by its provisions". There is then a 21-day period in which members of the public can object to the order.

Crossrail 2 Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest cost estimate for Crossrail 2; and what proportion of its revenue is expected to come from passengers using HS2 at Euston.

baroness vere of norbiton: Crossrail 2 is at an early stage of scheme development. The Government, Transport for London and Network Rail are currently working to refine the cost estimates for Crossrail 2, to reflect the findings of the Independent Affordability Review, ahead of a Spending Review. Cost estimates will become available once that work is completed and scheme development has reached an appropriate level of maturity. Revenue numbers at this level of detail are not available at this stage. However, current analysis estimates that 50,000 passengers in total would board and alight Crossrail 2 services at Euston in the 2041 morning peak period (0700 to 1000). This represents approximately 10% of the total Crossrail 2 demand and around a fifth of Crossrail 2 passengers at Euston are expected to be using HS2 services. These projections are regularly updated as part of ongoing updates to TfL’s forecasting models, and Crossrail 2’s business case analysis.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Job Creation: North East

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve the record of the increase of new jobs in the North East.

lord callanan: The Government is committed to levelling up investment and opportunity across the country. We are working with partners across the North East, including both elected Mayors, where we have committed additional investment of over £1 billion in jobs and infrastructure. We have also invested £505 million in Growth Deals with the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to improve economic performance, employment, and productivity across the region. This includes working with the North East LEP to create 100,000 additional jobs in the region by 2024. The North East LEP’s most recent report highlighted that the number of jobs in the North East has increased by 74,000 since 2014.

British Business Bank

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether default rates, and losses in event of default, experienced by the British Business Bank on loans sourced through peer-to-peer lending platforms have been (1) greater or lesser than for the British Business Bank’s overall lending book, and (2) greater or lesser than the British Business Bank’s expectation when extending loans through such platforms.

lord callanan: The British Business Bank’s participation in peer-to-peer lending platforms has been primarily through the Bank’s commercial subsidiary British Business Investments. Data collected across the Bank’s programmes and delivery partners is consolidated on a programme-by-programme basis. The Bank does not record an overall rate of default given the wide range of delivery partners and products across the Bank’s programmes that are not directly comparable. British Business Investments monitors existing delivery partners and their performance against contractual requirements, which includes monitoring the level of defaults, provisions, impairments[1] and write-offs observed through the life of each investment. The level of default rates observed on the portfolio of loans generated through the peer-to-peer lending platforms have varied over the life of the investments to date, at times being below and at times being above the initial expected rate at the time of investment. Provisions are raised for defaulted loans but the actual level of losses associated with these defaults will be dependent on the level of recoveries achieved through the life of the investments as not all defaults will result in crystallised losses. The level of losses provided for as a percentage of the net amount invested across the peer-to-peer platforms loan portfolio, is above the overall blended level[2] for the British Business Investments’ portfolio. This is as expected given the different risk profile and structure of the investments across the portfolio, all of which have been assessed within the Bank’s objectives and programme criteria. Overall returns from investments through the peer-to-peer platforms have been positive and the Bank has not experienced any negative returns from the peer-to-peer platform investments liquidated to date. [1] An impairment is an adjustment applied by a fund manager where a performance issue has been identified within a specific investment and are therefore included in the Net Asset Value submitted to the Bank.[2] This includes the level of defaults, provisions, impairments and write-offs provided by peer-to-peer and non-peer-to-peer delivery partners.

Electric Vehicles

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact, if any, theintroduction of electric vehicles has had on sales of new cars; and how they intend to encourage additional demand for electric vehicles through the provision of incentives.

lord callanan: In 2019, registrations of battery electric vehicles were at record levels. This was almost double compared to 2018 with nearly 38,000 units sold, overtaking plug-in hybrid electric vehicle registrations for the first time, at nearly 35,000 units. There were over 2.3 million new car registrations in 2019; a decline of 2.4% compared to 2018. Falling car sales are in line with other countries in Europe, including Germany and France, as a result of global slowdown and changing consumer demand. Government grants for plug-in vehicles are available to help reduce the upfront purchase price of electric vehicles. Drivers of ultra-low emission vehicles also receive other benefits, including lower tax rates and grants towards the installation of chargepoints. For example, all zero emission models will pay no company car tax in 2020-21 and 1% in 2021-22, before returning to the planned 2% rate in 2022-23 – a significant tax saving for employees and employers. Local authorities may also provide additional incentives such as free parking or exemption from the congestion charge. We stated in our Road to Zero Strategy that consumer incentives will continue to play a role beyond 2020.

Climate Change

lord lilley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any peer-reviewed scientific studies or reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predict the extermination of the human race in the next century as a result of climate change.

lord callanan: We are not aware of any peer-reviewed scientific studies that predict the end of the human race in the next century as a result of climate change. The scientific consensus, as represented by the assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, projects that climate change over this century and beyond will have increasingly negative impacts on human and natural systems, with the potential for impacts that are severe and, in some cases, irreversible. The evidence does not point to humanity going extinct because of climate change.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gibraltar: Schengen Agreement

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps Gibraltar would need to take to rejoin the borderless Schengen zone.

baroness sugg: The United Kingdom will be negotiating the future relationship with the EU on behalf of the whole United Kingdom family, including Gibraltar. The United Kingdom, including Gibraltar, is not part of the borderless Schengen zone.

Iran: Women's Rights

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had with the government of Iran on the rights of women in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly raise human rights with the Iranian authorities at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record, including the rights of women who continue to face widespread discrimination. Iran has also been identified as a Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly calls on Iran to uphold its international human rights obligations. At the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, I reiterated the message that the promotion and protection of human rights remains a priority for the British Government for 2020 and beyond.

Munich Security Conference and World Economic Forum

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what UK representation at senior ministerial or official level was present at (1) the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2020, and (2) the Munich Security Conference 2020.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The 2020 Annual Meetings of the World Economic Forum took place from 21 to 24 January in Davos. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was the only UK minister to attend this year. He was accompanied by two special advisers and two officials. The Prime Minister's Chief Strategic Adviser and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Trade also attended. The FCO-DFID Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa led the UK delegation to the 2020 Munich Security Conference. Senior UK officials present included the Cabinet Secretary, the MOD Director-General for Strategy and International, the FCO Political Director and the UK Ambassador to NATO.

Japan: Coronavirus

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the process for repatriating British citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The repatriation of British Citizens who wanted to leave the Diamond Princess cruise ship has now been completed. The Government keeps policy on repatriation of British nationals under constant review.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the blinding of a nine year old Palestinian childby Israeli forces in East Jerusalem on 15 February.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this case specifically, the UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which Israel Defense Forces police non-violent protests and the border areas. We have encouraged the Israeli authorities to carry out transparent investigations into whether the use of live fire had been appropriate. We have also stressed the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children. We call on Israel to adhere to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the policies of the government of Israel concerning the shooting of Palestinian children.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government is very concerned at any instances of Palestinians killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. We have raised the issue with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out transparent investigations into whether use of live fire had been appropriate. We have also stressed the importance of the Israel security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children. We call on Israel to adhere to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest.

Palestinians: Travel Restrictions

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have madeto the government of Israel concerning the barring of the Palestinian Governor of East Jerusalem from entering the West Bankand the order preventing him from communicating with the Palestinian Authority.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we are aware of the decision, we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue. We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement within the West Bank, including to and from East Jerusalem. Through our Embassy in Tel Aviv we have lobbied the authorities on the issue of movement and access, most recently on 17 December 2019.

Jerusalem: Religious Buildings

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the freedom of Muslims to worship at that site.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The holy sites of Jerusalem hold particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The UK is committed to working with all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the Status Quo in order to ensure the safety and security of Al Haram Al Sharif/Temple Mount and all who worship and visit there. We support the freedom of Muslims to worship at Al Haram Al Sharif. In our meetings with the Israeli authorities we regularly raise the need to respect the status quo of the holy sites in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv did so most recently on 16 October 2019.

Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the reported occupation of an Ahmadiyya place of worship in District Kusur, Punjab, by anti-Ahmadi extremists, denying Ahmadi Muslims the right to worship.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned about the occupation of an Ahmadiyya mosque in Kusur District, Punjab. The UK strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs. We engage at a senior level on the mistreatment of religious and ethnic groups, including Pakistanis from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.I raised our deep concerns about this incident in Kusur District and the importance of protecting of the Ahmadiyya community, as equal citizens, in a letter to Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr. Shireen Mazari, on 28 February.

Hong Kong: Rule of Law

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byJustice Kemal Bokhary, that a “storm” has broken out “in full force” over the rule of law in Hong Kong, what assessment they have made of the (1) state of, and (2) threat to, the (a) rule of law, and (b) independence of the judiciary, in Hong Kong.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The rule of law underpins One Country, Two Systems and Hong Kong's future prosperity and success. Despite recent pressure on aspects of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, the UK continues to believe that Hong Kong's world-class, independent judiciary, plays an essential role in underpinning the rule of law in Hong Kong. Participation of foreign judges in Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal strengthens Hong Kong's independent judiciary.Further analysis of Hong Kong's rule of law and judiciary will be included in the Foreign Secretary's Six-Monthly Report on the Question of Hong Kong, which will be published in the Spring.

Hong Kong: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report byStand with Hong Kong and the International Affairs Delegation Profiles of Hong Kong Repression: Perpetrators of human rights and democracy abuse, published on 20 December 2019; and what plans they have to use the information contained in that report to aid the (1)development, and (2) implementation, of a Magnitsky-style sanctions regime to tackle human rights abuses.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not at this stage made an assessment of the recent report by 'Stand with Hong Kong'. We continue to believe that a robust, credible and independent investigation into events in Hong Kong would be an important step in healing divisions and rebuilding trust that will support the process of dialogue and resolution.

Burundi: Elections

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to support the participation of civil society in the upcoming elections in Burundi.

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the government of Burundi in ensuring that the upcoming elections in that country are free and fair.

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they have taken to support the UN Special Envoy for Burundi in their efforts to ensure the equal treatment of all candidates in the upcoming elections in that country.

baroness sugg: The elections scheduled for May this year represent an important moment for the people of Burundi. We remain very concerned that the elections will not take place in a fair and peaceful environment and we therefore call on the government and international community to minimise the risk of violence and work towards an inclusive electoral process where all parties are free to participate peacefully. In coordination with key partners, the UK has raised our concerns with the Government of Burundi, in the UN Security Council and in other multilateral bodies, and has urged the international community to ensure that the focus remains on reducing the risk of violence in Burundi.

Gaza: Agriculture

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to protect agricultural lands in Gaza from incursions by Israeli forces and the destruction of Gaza farmland.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of such reports. Agricultural goods are some of the only Gazan exports permitted to cross the border into Israel. We continue to raise with Israeli counterparts our concerns about Israeli action.

Jerusalem: Religious Freedom

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations theyhave madeto the government of Israel about the reported closure of a Palestinian bakery in East Jerusalemthat supplied food to worshippers attending the Al Asqa mosque.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not made any representations on this specific case, the UK is committed to working with all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the status quo to ensure the safety and the security of the Al Haram Al Sharif / Temple Mount and all who worship there. In our meetings with the Israeli authorities we regularly raise the need to respect the status quo of the holy sites in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv last raised this issue with the Israeli authorities on 16 October 2019.

Jerusalem: Excavation

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to protect the homes of Palestinians in East Jerusalem whose land is being undermined by Israeli archaeological excavations.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly make clear our serious concerns about the situation in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities, both bilaterally and in co-operation with EU partners. We are strongly opposed to any attempts to change the facts on the ground in the East Jerusalem.

Israel: Occupied Territories

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what responsibilities they have under international law to ensure that Israel complies with the Geneva Conventions in the occupied territories of Palestine.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains of the view that Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) amounts to an 'occupation' which is governed by relevant rules of international law, including the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to which Israel is a state party. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

COE Parliamentary Assembly: European Conservatives Group

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the European Conservatives Group of members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to invite members of the Alternative für Deutschland group to join its parliamentary grouping.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Members of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are independent parliamentarians. Membership of the political groupings within the Parliamentary Assembly is a matter for the political groups themselves.

Gökçe Tüylüoğlu

baroness d'souza: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the case of Ms Gocke Tuyluoglu, the former director of the Open Society Foundation in Turkey; and what support, if any, they have offered her since her first arrest.

baroness sugg: We remain concerned by the arrests and trial of 16 civil society figures in June 2019 over the 2013 Gezi Park protests, including Ms Gokce Tuyluoglu, and have been following the cases closely, including the latest hearing on 19 February, which a British Embassy official attended. We have raised their cases at ministerial level with the Turkish Government on several occasions, most recently in January this year. We hope that the outstanding charges against them can be brought to a timely and equitable conclusion.We have long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression. On 28 January at the 35th Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights, one of the recommendations that the United Kingdom put forward for Turkey was protecting freedom of expression, including for journalists and human rights defenders, by decriminalising defamation. We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these issues and be clear in our expectation that Turkey live up to its human rights obligations, which is essential to the long-term health of Turkish democracy.

India: Nationality

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the UN Human Rights Council and other UN bodies about the government of India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019; if so, when;and what was the outcome.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: I discussed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with a senior member of India's Ministry of External Affairs on 25 February, while in Geneva for the UN Human Right Council. We continue to closely monitor developments over the CAA and related protests, and we will continue to raise any concerns with the Government of India.

India: Nationality

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK High Commission staff and their families in New Delhi have been affected byprotests about the government of India'sCitizenship (Amendment) Act; and if so, whatsupportsuch people have received from the High Commission.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: No British High Commission staff have been directly caught up in the violence, though the broader disruption has affected some of our local staff, who live or travel close to areas where violence occurred. The safety and security of all our staff is of paramount importance. Our advice to staff mirrors our Travel Advice, which we keep under constant review.

China: Prisoners

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the final judgement of the China Tribunal set out in its reportIndependent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China Final Judgement and Summary Report, published on 17 June 2019, which concluded“forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale and that Falun Gong practitioners have been one – and probably the main – source of organ supply’, whether their proposals for new Magnitsky-style legislation will include known organ harvesting perpetrators; and if not, why not.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary has announced that the UK will establish a global human rights sanctions regime under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. We will lay secondary legislation to establish this sanctions regime in the coming months. It would be inappropriate to comment on potential designations before these regulations come into force.

Gui Minhai

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the case of Gui Minhai who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in China for "illegally providing intelligence overseas".

lord ahmad of wimbledon: On 28 February, I expressed my deep concern about the sentencing of Gui Minhai, urging China to respect fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression. I called upon the Chinese authorities to grant consular access to Mr Gui, who is a Swedish national. The UK has raised Gui's case directly with the Chinese authorities on a number of occasions, liaising closely with Sweden and other partners.

Jamal Khashoggi

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, during his current visit to Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Secretary will raise with the government of that country (1) reports of the involvement of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and (2) the need for Saudi Arabia to (a) hold all those responsible to account and (b) ensure similar such crimes do not happen again.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding bilateral relationship, based on a number of pillars including trade, investment, defence, security, energy and shared concerns about regional issues.The Foreign Secretary will raise and discuss human rights concerns in his first official visit to the region.We have been clear that Mr Khashoggi's killing was a terrible crime, and that his family deserve to see justice done. Saudi Arabia must hold all those responsible to account and ensure such an atrocity can never happen again. We have consistently set out our grave concerns - both publicly and privately - and will continue to do so.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in discussions with the government of Mauritius on an overall resolution to the issues concerning (1) the future of the Chagos Islands, and (2) the resettlement of the Chagos Islanders, since the Prime Minister met the Prime Minister of Mauritius on 20 January.

baroness sugg: The Prime Minister had a discussion with Prime Minister Jugnauth, which included the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), when he attended the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London in January. We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA).We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the territory of BIOT, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. We have made a long-standing commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. There remains no right of abode in BIOT. While resettlement is unrealistic the UK Government is providing a significant package of assistance to Chagossians to help boost their life chances and provide increased opportunities to participate in a rolling programme of heritage visits to the Territory

Cabinet Office

EU Action: Parliamentary Scrutiny

the earl of kinnoull: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each government department, from 1 July 2019 to 31 January 2020, on how many occasions the Scrutiny Reserve Resolution was overridden in (1) the House of Lords, and (2) the House of Commons; and for how many documents such an override occurred in (a) both Houses, (b) the House of Lords, and (c) the House of Commons.

lord true: The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020 and is no longer part of the EU’s decision making machinery so no further scrutiny overrides will require to be reported to Parliament.Between July 2019 to January 2020, 348 Explanatory Memoranda on EU proposals and other documents were submitted for scrutiny.Scrutiny during this period was interrupted by the dissolution of parliament. There were 54 occasions when the Government supported decisions in the EU Council of Ministers before parliamentary scrutiny procedures had been completed.Historically, the largest category of instruments on which overrides have occurred have been fast-moving and sensitive Common Foreign and Security Policy measures including EU restrictive (sanctions) measures and during this period there were 40 occasions when such instruments were adopted before scrutiny could be completed. The figures requested are set out below:DepartmentHouse of Lords overrideHouse Commons overrideNo. of overrides in both Houses at same timeTotal no. of overridesBusiness, Energy and Industrial Strategy3223Defence1111Environment, Food and Rural Affairs1515Foreign and Commonwealth Office34393340HM Treasury3333International Development1111International Trade1111Totals44524254

Department of Health and Social Care

Sexually Transmitted Infections

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the reported increase in rates of sexually transmitted infections in England.

lord bethell: Several factors have contributed to the increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) seen in England over the last decade. These include better detection through policies that increase testing among those most at risk of STIs and behavioural changes that increase the risk of transmission of STIs.Sexually transmitted infections and screening for chlamydia in England, 2018, published in June 2019, accompanies the most recent annual official statistics release of data about sexually transmitted infections in England. The report states that the total number of sexual health screens (tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV) has increased over the last five years (22%; from 1,603,744 in 2014 to 1,955,108 in 2018). The report considers the role of sexual behaviours such as an increase in partner numbers and condomless intercourse in the increases seen. A copy of the report is attached.



Sexually transmitted infections and screening
(PDF Document, 1.28 MB)

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Research

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to invest in research on sexually transmitted infections; and in particular any such research related to (1) prevention, (2) testing, and (3) partner notification.

lord bethell: The Department invests over £1 billion a year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR supports a broad range of research on sexually transmitted infections through both its infrastructure and research programmes. This investment includes the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, a partnership between Public Health England and University College London. Research at the unit is wide-ranging and includes behavioural studies relating to prevention and partner notification, plus research to assess the feasibility of routine testing in primary care settings.We recognise that robust data collection will enable policy makers, commissioners and providers to better identify potential health risks and provide targeted prevention and early intervention work.

Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by NHS Health Scotland Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol evaluation, published in November 2019, in particular the finding that the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult through the off trade in Scotland fell by 7.3per cent in contrast to an increase of 5.9per cent in England and Wales over the same period.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes will be required to the NHS Constitution for England as a result of the introduction of new operational targets for the NHS.

lord bethell: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 06 March 2020.The correct answer should have been:

No formal assessment has been made of the report by NHS Health Scotland on minimum unit pricing (MUP) of alcohol. The Scottish Government is taking forward a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of introducing MUP. The Scottish legislation also includes a sunset clause and the Scottish Government are required to present a report on the impact of MUP to their Parliament five years after implementation which will be published in 2023.There are no plans for the introduction of MUP in England. The Government will continue to monitor the progress of MUP in Scotland and will consider available evidence of its impact, including the report by NHS Scotland. This is the answer for HL1750. The clinically-led review of National Health Service access standards is ongoing. The NHS is currently trialling how these might work and any recommended changes will be based on clinical evidence to ensure the best outcome for patients. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s final recommendations to the Government are due by the spring.

lord bethell: No formal assessment has been made of the report by NHS Health Scotland on minimum unit pricing (MUP) of alcohol. The Scottish Government is taking forward a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of introducing MUP. The Scottish legislation also includes a sunset clause and the Scottish Government are required to present a report on the impact of MUP to their Parliament five years after implementation which will be published in 2023.There are no plans for the introduction of MUP in England. The Government will continue to monitor the progress of MUP in Scotland and will consider available evidence of its impact, including the report by NHS Scotland. This is the answer for HL1750. The clinically-led review of National Health Service access standards is ongoing. The NHS is currently trialling how these might work and any recommended changes will be based on clinical evidence to ensure the best outcome for patients. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s final recommendations to the Government are due by the spring.

Department for International Development

UK-Africa Investment Summit

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 18 February(HL1300), which consultancies were used to help deliver the UK–Africa Investment Summit 2020; and how much those consultancies were paid.

baroness sugg: The government contracted a range of companies to provide services including production, and the design and running of pre-events, to support the delivery of the UK-Africa Investment Summit. These contracts are ongoing, and it is the government’s intention to provide further details in due course.

Iran: Coronavirus

lord lamont of lerwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they, along with the governments of France and Germany, are drawing up any plans, as permitted under US and EU sanctions, to increase supplies of humanitarian goods, including equipment and medicines, to Iran in order to assist that country to combat Wuhan coronavirus.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK, France and Germany have expressed their full solidarity with all impacted by COVID-19 in Iran. Together we are offering UN agencies in Iran a package of support to try to combat the rapid spread of the disease. The UK will continue to support global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and direct our support to help the most vulnerable across the globe.

Nigeria: Internally Displaced People

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what humanitarian assistance they are providing to internally displaced people in Nigeria’s northern and middle belt states; and what steps they have taken to protect civilians displaced by conflict in that country.

baroness sugg: The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict in North East Nigeria and is committed to supporting the 1.9 million people who have been forced to flee their homes.DFID is one of the largest donors to the World Food Programme's emergency operation in North East Nigeria, which provides cash and food assistance to those who have been displaced.   We also support humanitarian partners including Action Against Hunger, the International Rescue Committee and the United Nations Children’s Fund to deliver emergency healthcare and nutrition, protection services, education to out of school children and access to lifesaving water. We will continue to flex our existing £300 million humanitarian programme to respond to conflict-related shocks and displacement. The UK does not currently provide humanitarian assistance in the middle belt states.To protect those at risk of attack as a result of the insecurity, the UK’s humanitarian programme includes a £16 million two-year initiative dedicated to providing support to those affected by the conflict in North East Nigeria, particularly victims of sexual and gender-based violence. DFID works with partners, the UN and NGOs to save lives, strengthen resilience, and protect civilians from attacks and violations of international law.  To improve the effectiveness of security responses and the protection of civilians in Borno state, the UK is providing up to £800,000 from October 2019 to March 2021.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Greater Manchester

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of school leavers entered higher education in each of the ten districts of Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.

baroness berridge: The department publishes annual information on the proportion of students from state-funded and special schools who entered higher education by age 19 by local authority in its ‘Widening Participation in Higher Education’ statistical release.The table below shows figures for the latest five years for local authorities within Greater Manchester.Table 1: Percentage of pupils from state-funded and special schools who entered Higher Education by age 19 by local authority.Local Authority2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Bolton40%43%43%46%43%Bury41%44%46%43%44%Manchester35%37%39%39%42%Oldham37%40%40%40%41%Rochdale37%38%40%40%39%Salford34%32%34%33%32%Stockport38%39%41%40%43%Tameside31%35%37%36%36%Trafford50%52%53%54%57%Wigan37%38%40%41%40%

Special Educational Needs

lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 4 February (HL598), what progress they have made with thereview of the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities; and when they will publish a report on that review.

baroness berridge: The government is committed to carrying out the SEND review, first announced on 6 September 2019. In announcing that we are reviewing the system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilties, we acknowledged the challenges the system faces. We are committed to setting out plans to tackle these issues and build on our 2014 reforms which gave vital support to more children.The review is ongoing and we will provide an update in due course. It is right that we take the time to consider how best to ensure support in different local areas is consistent, joined up across health, care and education services, and that high-quality health and education support is available across the country.

Pre-school Education

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the level of graduate leadership in the early years sector.

baroness berridge: The early years foundation stage framework is mandatory for all early years providers in England. It sets out the staffing requirements for early years settings, including ratios and qualifications.While the department does not require graduates to be employed in private, voluntary and independent early years settings, we are committed to ensuring that there are routes to graduate-level qualifications for the early years workforce. We fully fund the early years initial teacher training programme which leads to early years teacher status, including bursaries and employer incentives.

T-levels

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) number, and (2) distribution, of relevant businesses required to meet the demand for T-levels.

baroness berridge: Given the scale of the challenge, it is important that employers from all industries and regions are supported to deliver industry placements. We have carried out extensive stakeholder engagement across different industries, considered a range of evidence and put a substantial support package in place.The published evidence is on pages 10 to 12 in the following link (which is also attached): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802703/Industry_placements_policy_update.pdf. This document also provides links to other evidence.The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) is promoting T levels and industry placements, including through operating a matching service which puts employers in touch with providers in their area. The NAS is also able to target specific geographical areas, as well as specific sectors and employers of specific sizes and types.In May 2019, we published a new framework for industry placements to accommodate different industries, students and locations. We are piloting an employer support fund that is designed to help employers offering industry placements. We are also developing an employer support package alongside this. We will continue to monitor the regional and industry challenges to best target our activity to ensure that businesses can successfully meet the demands for T levels.



HL1826_policy_update
(PDF Document, 489.31 KB)

Teachers

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the most recent trends in the level of teacher recruitment and retention.

baroness berridge: The number of teachers remains high, with over 453,000 teachers in our schools – 12,000 more than in 2010. Postgraduate recruitment to teacher training is at its highest level since 2010-11, with over 29,000 postgraduate trainees recruited in 2019-20. The department will continue to take action to ensure teaching remains an attractive and fulfilling career. The figures of postgraduate and undergraduate initial teacher training new entrants by academic year can be found in the table attached. In 2019, the government published the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, setting out how we will attract and retain great teachers. At the heart of the strategy is the Early Career Framework, which will provide new teachers with the solid foundations for a successful career in the profession. The department has made significant progress in implementing the strategy since it was published. We have set out plans to significantly raise teachers’ starting pay to £30,000 by September 2022. We have also published a new Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework, which will align with the Early Career Framework to ensure all teachers benefit from at least three years of evidence-based training. Additionally, the findings from the Teacher Workload Survey 2019 show that there has been a reduction in reported working hours for teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders of five hours a week between 2016 and 2019. While these findings suggest that our work and that of the profession is starting to make a real difference, we will continue to take action to tackle unnecessary workload.



HL1827_ITT_census
(PDF Document, 254.43 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many current prisoners between 18 and 30 years of age have at least (1) seven, and (2) 15, previous convictions or cautions.

lord keen of elie: Information relating to the criminal history of the current prison population is not held centrally and would require linking data sets. The requested information, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Department does, however, publish similar statistics annually on Gov.uk as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly collection. This includes a breakdown of the prison population by number of previous convictions and cautions, as well as age group and sex. The most recent release can be found on Table A1.19 of the ‘Annual Prison Population: 2019’ file within ‘Offender Management Statistics Quarterly: January to March 2019’.

Marriage: Islam

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate to ensure that women in Islamic faith marriages can seek redress through the courts in the event that the marriage breaks down.

lord keen of elie: The law has long made provision for couples, including Muslim couples, to marry in their place of worship in a way that gives them legal rights and protections. The Government shares the concern that some people may nonetheless marry in a way that does not, and without appreciating the consequences. The independent Sharia review has recommended that it should be an offence for religious celebrants to carry out a ceremony that is outside the ambit of the Marriage Acts. Any legislative proposal, including such an offence, must be thoroughly assessed for its fairness to all religious groups and for how far it could achieve the change of practice intended. That is why it is with the greatest care that the Government is continuing the exploration of both limited reform and non-legislative options that it began in detail in the spring. Separately from this exploration, the Law Commission began its weddings project in July last year. It will make recommendations for how the wider law on getting married in England and Wales can be systematically reformed in a way that is simple, fair and consistent.

Human Trafficking

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) prosecutions, and (2) convictions, for human trafficking-related offences there were in each of the last five calendar years.

lord keen of elie: The Ministry of Justice has published data on the number of people prosecuted and convicted in England and Wales up to the year ending December 2018 for the following human trafficking-related offencesHuman trafficking for sexual exploitation;Human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation;Arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation;Commit offence of kidnapping or false imprisonment with intention of arranging travel with view to exploitation; andCommit offence other than kidnapping or false imprisonment with intention of arranging travel with view to exploitation.Note that the first two offences in this list, were superseded in 2015 by the latter three offences (arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, commit offence of kidnapping or false imprisonment with intention of arranging travel with view to exploitation, commit offence other than kidnapping or false imprisonment with intention of arranging travel with view to exploitation), all of which are under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.Figures can be found in the table attached. If an offence does not appear in the table, it means there were no prosecutions or convictions for it in the period given.



HL1879 TABLE
(Excel SpreadSheet, 22.53 KB)

Department for International Trade

Customs

lord lilley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any international agreement obligesthem to require importers to complete full customs declarations, other than declarations of origin, for goods coming from other countries within a free trade area in which there are no tariffs or quotas.

viscount younger of leckie: The UK is party to a number of international agreements that provide for obligations and recommended practices around customs procedures and declarations, such as the Revised Kyoto Convention.Obligations as to the precise form of the UK customs declarations for imports are established by the UK’s domestic legislation. There is no general exemption regarding the contents of customs declarations for goods being imported under a free trade agreement, including imports that are tariff free and quota free.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Plans: South Oxfordshire

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they expect South Oxfordshire District Council to take to improve its local plan.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: On 3 October 2019 South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet recommended the withdrawal of the emerging South Oxfordshire local plan. On 9 October 2019 the Secretary of State directed South Oxfordshire District Council not to take any steps in connection with the adoption of the local plan, while he considers this matter. This direction remains in force.

Housing Improvement: Grants

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total amount of assistance, excluding any assistance for disability access improvements, provided to the owners of homes in the form of (1) standard grants, (2) improvement grants, (3) intermediate grants, (4) renovation grants, and (5) similar grants, to renovate and improve older private sector housing; and what was the cost to the national exchequer for each year of the operation of those grants.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The Department does not provide funding to the owners of older, private housing stock for renovation and improvement work. However this Government has been clear that the Housing Market should be fair for everyone, which is why in January last year, the Government announced plans for a new Housing Complaints Resolution Service to help consumers more easily access help when things go wrong with their home.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will set out detailed plans for the (1) size, (2) geographical distribution, and (3) administrative implementation, of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: Government has committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to succeed European structural funds and bind together the whole of the United Kingdom, tackling inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations. The 2019 Conservative Manifesto committed to targeting the UK Shared Prosperity Fund at the UK’s specific needs, and at a minimum match the size of European structural funds in each nation.Final decisions on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be taken after a cross-Governmental Spending Review. In the meantime, we will continue to work closely with interested parties whilst developing the fund.

Religious Hatred

lord vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Younger of Leckie on 3 February (HL727), what consideration they have given to requiring allegations of an offence of stirring up religious hatred to be supported by two witnesses, in order to restrict frivolous complaints.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: It is an operational matter for the police to determine whether and how to investigate all incidents reported to them. The Crown Prosecution Service will also apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors to ensure a prosecution will not proceed where a complaint is deemed to be frivolous. Decisions to prosecute are furthermore subject to consideration under the Freedom of Expression defence contained in Section 29J of the Public Order Act 1986.

Lighting: Planning Permission

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 27 January (HL411), whether local authorities, when considering building developments of all kinds, are required to conduct a full appraisal, including of the environmental impact, before any lighting project is commissioned.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning policies and decisions should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light. The Framework is supported by our planning guidance, revised in November last year, which sets out how environmental and other impacts of light pollution should be considered in the planning system. Local planning authorities must take the Framework into account when preparing their plans and its policies - including those on light pollution - also need to be considered in making individual planning decisions.   Light must also be considered for the relatively small number of developments that fall under the category of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development. Under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017, developments which, due to their nature, size or location are likely to have significant effects on the environment must be subject to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process before planning permission can be granted. Screening is used to determine whether a proposed project is likely to have significant effects on the environment.

Housing: Design

baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reportA housing design audit for England, published on 21 January, which found that the majority of new housing developments audited were considered mediocre or poor.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: We have received and read the report with interest. The authors of the report provided evidence from their audit to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission and it has informed the recommendations within the final report. The Government will be issuing their final response to the Commission’s report in due course.

Sewage: Water Treatment

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 18 February (HL1314), whether local councils in their capacity as local planning authorities making decisions can refuse a planning application on the basis that the water and sewage company has not provided a system of waste water that satisfies the Environment Agency; and whether the Planning Inspectorate would be bound to uphold any such refusal.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: A local planning authority, as the decision maker in the first instance, may refuse an application, having weighed up all the material planning considerations in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless other material considerations indicate otherwise. This decision may be appealed and allows the judgement of the local council to be tested independently by the Planning Inspectorate. Inspectors may come to a different view from the local planning authority and uphold an appeal, this does not mean that they have disregarded the views of the local authority or local residents – rather that they have attributed different weight to the issues in reaching their decision.In coming to a decision, the local planning authority and an inspector will take into account the views of all parties submitted within the relevant timescales, along with local and national planning policy and guidance. Our planning practice guidance is clear that if there are concerns arising from a planning application about the capacity of wastewater infrastructure, applicants can be asked to provide information about how the proposed development will be drained and wastewater dealt with. There is also statutory provision for developers to fund additional sewerage infrastructure required to accommodate flows from a proposed development.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the challenges facing homeowners of properties that require an EWS1 Certificatein getting a surveyor's report within a reasonable time; and what steps they intend to take to alleviate delays in obtaining these certificates.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The EWS1 form was produced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) on behalf of industry. The Government is aware of capacity issues impacting on its use and is working with industry to help them mitigate these.

Tree Preservation Orders

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a standardised UK-wide Tree Preservation Order mapping system and data set for local authorities; and if not, whether they have plans to establish one.

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local authority planners have access to a UK-wide database to identify land available for tree planting and natural regeneration; and how long that land is available for.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: Tree Preservation Orders and planning are devolved to local authorities. We expect each local authority in England to record the location of amenity trees it decides to protect with Tree Preservation Orders. As decisions on individual trees are a local matter, there are no plans to introduce a national dataset.Looking forward, Local Nature Recovery Strategies provided for in the Environment Bill will map out the priorities for sustainable nature recovery across landscapes, including new woodland and hedgerow trees. The Bill also includes measures to require local consultation before street trees are removed, and will enable local authorities to require developers to secure net gain for biodiversity, including tree-planting and green space, when planning permissions are granted.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that all apartment blocks with combustible cladding have such cladding removed; and if so, by when.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: For buildings which require non-ACM remedial works, residents’ safety remains this Government's utmost priority and there is no excuse for building owners not ensuring that residents are safe in their homes. Government will continue to support leaseholders and is reviewing options on how best to do so.

Travellers: Finance

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding, if any, they have committed to improving the life chances of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; and whether that funding is ringfenced.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The Government has provided funding aimed at improving the life chances of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities.The Department for Education has provided over £15 billion of pupil premium funding since 2011 and a further £2.4 billion in the current financial year, which will have benefited children from GRT communities.In 2018/19, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided £200,000 of ring-fenced funding to Voluntary and Community Sector organisations for six pilot projects aimed at improving outcomes for GRT in the areas of educational attainment, health and social integration. Two of these pilot projects received further ring-fenced funding totalling £95,000 in 2019/20.The Controlling Migration Fund (2016 – 2020) has provided £102 million of non-ringfenced funding for local authorities under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. This funding is designed to help ease the pressures on local services caused by recent migration. These projects aid in helping migrant communities to access services, improve health outcomes, raising educational outcomes for children and young adults and English language provision. Roma communities are the beneficiaries, but not the sole focus of several of the projects funded through the Controlling Migration Fund.

Qari Asim

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 13 February (HL Deb, col 2339), on what grounds the reports about Qari Asim were considered to be an “abhorrent hate crime”; and whether the police are investigating such reports as a hate crime.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The phrase of “abhorrent hate crime” was used by Viscount Younger of Leckie in reference to the abusive messages that were sent to Imam Qari Asim on Twitter following the report in The Sunday Times rather the report itself. Reported hate crime incidents are investigated by the police who take appropriate and proportionate action in response to them. We are proud to have some of the strongest legislation in the world to tackle hate crime.

Department for Work and Pensions

Attendance Allowance

baroness greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the time needed to process new Attendance Allowance claims.

baroness stedman-scott: The Government currently spends £5.8 billion a year providing some help to 1.43 million people of pension age with the cost of their care needs. Attendance Allowance provides financial support towards the extra costs faced by those with a severe disability. It is only available to those over State Pension age who require care or supervision as a result of their disability. The support is aimed at those with long term care needs so there is a qualifying period of 6 months. The qualifying period is waived for those with a terminal illness. Claims for Attendance Allowance can be made by to the Department by telephone on 0800 731 0122 or by obtaining a claim form online at: www.gov.uk and returning to: Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance. The Department routinely reviews its use of staffing resources to ensure that it meets the needs of our customers. The Department have recently recruited more staff to process Attendance Allowance claims, which will enable us to determine benefit eligibility within a shorter timescale.

Employment: Disability

baroness stroud: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of SMEs employing staff with disabilities between 2015 and 2020.

baroness stedman-scott: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are defined as businesses which employ less than 250 employees. In 2019, there were 5.82 million small businesses (0 to 49 employees) and 35,600 medium-sized businesses (50-249 employees) in the UK. 4.46 million of these do not employ anyone. 1,155,385 had 1-9 employees, 211,295 had 10-49 employees, and 35,585 had 50-249 employees.Source: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (2020). Business population estimates for the UK and regions: 2019 statistical release. While there are currently no robust estimates of the total number of businesses that employ staff with disabilities, DWP research does provide evidence of the proportion of establishments who have recruited employees who are disabled or have a long-term health condition in the previous 12 months. The 2015/2016 DWP Employer Experience Survey and the 2018 DWP Employer Engagement Survey collected data from 4,200 and 4,201 telephone interviews of GB employers respectively. The surveys only considered workplaces with at least two members of staff.The fieldwork periods for the two surveys were October 2015 to February 2016 and February to June 2018. The surveys asked those employers who said they had tried to recruit in the last 12 months whether they had recruited someone who is disabled or who has a long-term health condition: Establishment size% of establishments that had recruited in the last 12 monthsOf those establishments that had recruited, whether they had recruited someone who is disabled/has a long-term health conditionYesNoDon’t know2015/1620182015/1620182015/1620182015/1620182-9 employees43%38%12% 11%86%82%2%7%10-49 employees82%76%15%19%81%74%4%6%50-249 employees96%96%31%31%57%51%11%18%250+ employees (2015/16 only)97% 55% 22% 23% 250-499 employees (2018 only) 99% 44% 35% 21%500+ employees (2018 only) 100% 53% 25% 22%  Sources: Department for Work and Pensions (2019). DWP Employer Engagement survey 2018. Research report 977.Department for Work and Pensions (2017). DWP Employer Experience survey 2015/16. Research report 948.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Waste: Exports

the lord bishop of salisbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), what assessment they have made of the proportion of shipping containers being returned following inspection; and what action they intend to take as a result.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: Of the 42 improperly documented containers of plastic waste referred to in the written answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226) 38 containers have been returned to the UK. The Environment Agency (EA) are awaiting the return of 4 containers from Malaysia and these are due to return to England by the end of March 2020. The EA, as the competent authority of England, is overseeing the voluntary return of all 42 containers of waste however the return of the containers is being managed and financed by the parties involved in the original export to Malaysia as it is their responsibility. The EA continues to closely monitor the return to England and subsequent lawful recovery or disposal of the waste in the UK. The circumstances relevant to the export of these containers is currently being investigated and it is not possible to comment any further at this time.

Waste: Exports

the lord bishop of salisbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of sanctions as a means of discouraging the export of illegal waste shipments.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The four UK regulators have a range of enforcement tools and sanctions available in respect to waste exports offences. The Environment Agency (EA) has published an Enforcement and Sanctions Policy and it details how the EA make enforcement and sanctioning decisions including the decision to prosecute. The EA also have internal enforcement governance procedures to ensure consistency, transparency and accountability for all enforcement recommendations or decisions they make. These procedures enable the EA to monitor offending and the sanctions and other interventions they use. The Government has committed in the Resources & Waste Strategy to review the regulatory framework covering waste exports. We will consult this year on actions to better manage and control waste exports, including through tighter monitoring and enforcement of the existing regulations and we will seek views on the effectiveness of sanctions as part of that consultation. The Environment Bill also includes a power to introduce electronic tracking of waste to help tackle waste crime here in the UK and prevent illegal waste from being shipped abroad. Recognising the difficulties experienced by some countries in managing imports of plastic waste, the Queen’s Speech on 19 December last year included a commitment to ban the export of plastic wastes to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. We will consult this year on the date by which this should be achieved.

Waste: Exports

the lord bishop of salisbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), how many successful prosecutions there were for breaches of waste shipment legislation in each of the past five years.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for enforcing waste shipments legislation in England. The EA aims to make sure its enforcement response is proportionate and appropriate to each situation and the EA has a range of enforcement powers and sanctions available to it to secure compliance. The EA’s first response is usually to give advice and guidance to bring an offender into compliance where possible. Where a criminal offence has been committed, in addition to any other enforcement action, the EA will consider instituting a prosecution, administering a caution or issuing a warning. Any UK operators found to be illegally exporting waste can face severe sanctions – from financial penalties up to imprisonment for a period of up to two years. The table below details the range of EA enforcement action over the past five years, including successful prosecutions. Illegal Waste Export Enforcement 2015 – 2020 (to date)Financial YearTotal ProsecutionsCourt FinesImprisonmentSuspended Custodial SentencesCautions issued by EAEA Warning LettersFixed Penalty Notices1Civil Sanctions1Stop/ Prevention Notices2015-163£30,4500309001682016-171£1,80001011111502017-180£00014001602018-190£00003002382019-20 to date1£350,00000-----Totals5£382,2500412711716  [1] Issued by the Environment Agency

Horticulture: Seasonal Workers

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the quantity of unpicked (1) apples, (2) cherries, (3) blueberries, (4) raspberries, (5) other fruit, (6) vegetable crops, and (7) other horticultural produce, in 2019, as a result of a shortage of seasonal labour; and what plans theyhave to address any issues which may arise from any shortage of labour in 2020.

lord gardiner of kimble: Lord Gardiner of Kimble  The information requested on quantities of unpicked horticultural produce is not held by Defra. It is a priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive food supply chain, which invests in its people and skills. In 2018, the Government introduced a new pilot scheme for 2019 and 2020 enabling up to 2500 non-EEA migrant workers per year to come to the UK to undertake seasonal employment in the edible Horticultural sector. The Government has now expanded the Seasonal Workers Pilot for 2020 from 2,500 to 10,000 workers. The pilot will continue to operate in the edible horticulture sector, to support farmers growing UK fruit and vegetables. This is the sector of agriculture which has been experiencing the most severe seasonal labour shortages, and which the pilot aims to support. Although the numbers are increasing for 2020, based on the success of the pilot so far, it is not designed to meet the full labour needs of the horticulture sector. This workforce boost will complement the EU workers already travelling to the UK this year to provide seasonal labour on farms during the busy harvest months. Business will continue to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status and there will continue to be other flexibility in the system, including youth mobility schemes and the MAC has already pointed to the estimated 170,000 recently arrived non-EU citizens currently in low-skilled occupations. The EU Settlement Scheme, which opened in March 2019 has already received more than 3.2 million applications from EU citizens who are be able to stay and work in the UK. EU citizens and their family members do not need to do anything immediately: there will be no change to their current rights until the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020; and the deadline for applications to the scheme for those resident here by the end of 2020 will be 30 June 2021.

Home Office

Madeleine McCann

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 8 August 2019 (HL17509), whether any funding has been made available to the Metropolitan Police to continue Operation Grange beyond March 2020; and if so, for (1) how long, and (2) what reasons.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office has received details of the Metropolitan Police’s anticipated spending for Operation Grange in 2020/21. Requests for funding will be considered in due course, in line with our standard Special Grant process.

Slavery

the lord bishop of bristol: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a reduction in low-skilled migration on the incidence of modern slavery.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has been clear that free movement is ending, and a new immigration system will be introduced from January 2021.We recognise this represents significant change. The Government is committed to eradicating exploitation within the labour market and migrant workers are no exception. The Government is committed to identifying potential victims of modern slavery and will continue to ensure needs-based support is available, regardless of an individual’s immigration status.

Migrant Workers

the lord bishop of bristol: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the risk of labour shortages in the event of changes to immigration rules, and (2) the possibility of the exploitation of workers as a consequence of these shortages; and what steps they intend to take to ensure that workers are protected.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has been clear free movement is ending, and a new immigration system will be introduced from January 2021. The independent Migration Advisory Committee has been clear immigration is not the solution to addressing shortages in the labour market.The Government is committed to tackling labour exploitation across all sectors of the labour market and protecting workers’ rights. Through the Immigration Act 2016, we have widened the remit of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority giving it new powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 to investigate serious labour market offences.We recently ran a public consultation on the establishment of a new Single Enforcement Body for employment rights. We will publish a response to this consultation in due course.

Migrant Workers: Social Services

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to designate care work as a skilled occupation under the new immigration system.

baroness williams of trafford: The classification of the skill level of jobs is based upon advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).The MAC has been clear that immigration is not the solution to addressing staffing levels in the social care sector.The Government is working alongside employers to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet increasing demands and have recently launched a national recruitment campaign for social care.Senior care workers who meet the criteria will be able to come to the UK through the points-based system.We are also providing councils with access to an additional £1.5 billion for adults and children’s social care in 2020-21.

Refugees

lord mcinnes of kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees were resettled in the UK from (1) Jordan, (2) Lebanon, (3) Iraq, and (4) Turkey, in 2019, broken down by country of origin.

lord mcinnes of kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many resettlement interviews conducted in(1) Jordan, (2) Lebanon, (3) Iraq, and (4) Turkey, in 2019 resulted in (a) acceptance, or (b) rejection, of the case for resettlement in the UK, broken down by the country of origin of those interviewed.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Migration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. These can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics. The next statistics, which contain resettlement arrivals by nationality for the year ending December 2019, is planned for publication on 27 February. We do not publish a breakdown of resettlements by host country.The Home Office undertakes remote video interviews with refugees referred for resettlement under the Vulnerable Persons and Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Schemes. These interviews are principally designed to gain a deeper understanding of any UK family links and gather information to assist with the process of matching refugees to suitable offers of accommodation, and do not form part of the case consideration process. We do not publish a breakdown of resettlement case acceptance or rejection by host country.

Domestic Abuse: Northern Ireland

baroness penn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the provisions relating to Northern Ireland contained in the Domestic Abuse Bill, considered by the House of Commons in 2019, will be included in the forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill; and what assessment they have made of the inclusion of such provisions on the UK’s ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

baroness williams of trafford: In a written ministerial statement on 10 February 2020, the Northern Ireland First Minister and Deputy First Minister announced that a Domestic Abuse Bill was one of the Bills that the Minister of Justice intended to introduce during the 2019-20 Assembly session (the statement is available at: http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/official-reports/written-ministerial-statements/2019-2020/bv125_wms_teo_100220.pdf).The Northern Ireland Bill will include the new domestic abuse offence criminalising controlling or coercive behavior which was previously in Part 2 of the Domestic Abuse Bill introduced in the UK Parliament in July 2019. The offence is required to ensure that the law in Northern Ireland satisfies the requirements of Article 33 (psychological violence) of the Istanbul Convention. As domestic abuse legislation is a devolved matter, it is preferable for legislation relating to such matters to be delivered through the Northern Ireland Assembly.The Domestic Abuse Bill as re-introduced in the UK Parliament will continue to include Northern Ireland provisions extending the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the criminal courts to certain violent and sexual offences (required to satisfy the requirements of Article 44 (jurisdiction) of the Istanbul Convention). We are in discussion with the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice about the timetable for the Assembly Bill, with reference to the UK’s progress towards ratification of the Istanbul Convention.



WMS - NI Assembly bv125
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Overseas Visitors

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that non-UK participants in sporting and cultural events will be able to enter the country after December 2020 in order to take part in such events.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK attracts world class artists, entertainers, musicians and sports people and that’s not going to change in the future system.The current immigration rules contain a wide range of provisions to cater for artists, entertainers, musicians and sportspeople and this will continue to be the case in future.Citizens of the Republic of Ireland will continue to enjoy the ability to live, work and perform in the UK as they have always been able to.

Police: Recruitment

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timeline for the delivery of the proposed 20,000 new police officers in England and Wales.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has committed to increasing the number of police officers by 20,000 over the next three years.The Home Office has confirmed the recruitment targets for every force in England and Wales in the first year of the uplift, and 6,000 additional officers will be recruited in forces across England and Wales by the end of March 2021. Details of the allocations in years two and three are still to be determined. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-office-announces-first-wave-of-20000-police-officer-uplift

Police: Labour Turnover

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional measures, alongside the introduction of 20,000 police officers, they are taking to address the rate of retention of serving police officers.

baroness williams of trafford: Around 7,500 police officers leave the service each year, the majority through normal retirement. Forces will continue to fill these vacancies as a matter of routine. The Police Uplift Programme will deliver 20,000 completely new posts across policing in addition to replacing leavers.Relatively few officers choose to leave their job before retirement, compared to other public and private sector workforces. Voluntary resignations remain low at a rate of under 2% of the workforce and the independent pay review bodies have concluded that police officer retention rates a stable.Nevertheless, the Government is not complacent, and we believe that more can be done to improve the retention of key skills to support the uplift in police officer numbers. The Home Office is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and other policing partners, to consider what further action may be needed to support retention.

Police: Stun Guns

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toincrease the (1) numbers, and (2) use, of Tasers by police officers in England and Wales.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Secretary has already announced up to £10 million of additional funding for forces to increase the number of officers carrying TASER®. This will help forces to better protect themselves and the public from harm.The use of TASER® remains an operational matter. Chief Officers decide the number of TASER® and the number of TASER® officers deployed based on their assessments of the threats and risks in their areas.

Police and Crime Commissioners

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the current structure of Police and Crime Commissioners; and in particular, whether that structure is able to support the desired approach towards combatting knife crime.

baroness williams of trafford: Since their introduction, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have brought real local accountability to how chief constables and their forces perform, and they are working hard to ensure that local communities have a stronger voice in policing. Beyond policing, PCCs have brought focus and drive to work with local partners, including on wider crime and criminal justice matters.PCCs are already at the forefront of delivering local solutions to the issue of serious violence. In the 18 worst affected areas, the Government has provided locally accountable PCCs with up to £63.4m through surge funding in 2019-20 to help support operational and preventative activity; as well as an additional £35m in the same period to invest in Violence Reduction Units (VRUs). In December 2019, the Home Secretary announced a further £35m to continue funding VRUs in 2020-21.The Early Intervention Youth Fund is also supporting 40 projects match-funded by PCCs, with £22m being made available over two years (2018-19 and 2019-20) to support communities in tackling the root causes of serious violence.

Police: Riot Control Weapons

lord stevens of kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the use of water cannons by police to respond to outbreaks of public disorder.

baroness williams of trafford: There are no plans to introduce water cannon into UK policing. The Home Office works closely with the National Police Chiefs Council on police capability and the measures that can be used in response to public disorder.All less lethal weapons use by police must be approved by the Home Secretary. A stringent authorisation process is set out in the UK’s Code of Practice on armed policing and police use of less lethal weapons.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further tothe Written Answer byViscount Younger of Leckieon 25 February (HL1520), whether they intend to provide funding to the Northern Ireland Executive to enable it to sustain the Historical Inquiries Unit after its first five years of operation; and if so, at what level.

viscount younger of leckie: The Government has committed to making substantial financial contributions to addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland. Planning and implementation will be the subject of engagement with the NI parties in due course.

Treasury

UK Trade with EU: Customs

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to build infrastructure at UK ports to accommodate new checks on (1) vehicles, and (2) goods, coming from the EU after 1 January 2021.

lord agnew of oulton: HMRC will continue to engage with port authorities at key border locations to understand the constraints in different sites, and to discuss how to ensure ports are operationally ready for the end of the transition period. HMRC will also continue to keep their plans for additional infrastructure under review, depending on what is needed as part of the future trading relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Electronic Publishing: VAT

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of zero-rating VAT on e-publications, including audiobooks and eBooks, to bring them into line with their physical counterparts.

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe case for reducing the VAT applied to digital reading materials with a view to supporting reading among children and young people from low-income backgrounds.

lord agnew of oulton: The Government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT.Any amendments to the VAT regime as it applies to physical publications and e-publications must be carefully assessed against policy, economic and fiscal considerations. Representations on this issue are considered as part of the fiscal event process.The impact on people from low-income backgrounds and on literacy levels of any reduction of VAT on e-publications is likely to depend on commercial decisions about the extent to which any tax saving would lead to price reductions for consumers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: EU Grants and Loans

the earl of clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the EU’s funding contribution to the UK’s arts, heritage and creative industries will be fully replaced; and, if so, what funding schemes will enable this.

baroness barran: The Government remains committed to supporting the UK’s thriving cultural and creative economy. We will continue to invest money directly into the UK's cultural and creative sectors, continuing to support and grow their world-class activity on the international stage.Now we have taken back control of our money, we are able to focus spending on domestic priorities including on our world class arts, heritage and creative industries. Any new spending will be a consideration for the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.

S4C: Finance

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of public money required to run the S4C television channel; and what steps they will take to ensure that that channel receives financial support.

baroness barran: Following the independent review of S4C conducted by Euryn Ogwen Williams, the government accepted the recommendation for S4C to be fully licence fee funded from April 2022. The government will assess the amount of public money required to run S4C’s television channel and other services during the discussions on the licence fee settlement due to take effect from April 2022. S4C’s licence fee funding is guaranteed to remain at £74.5 million until 2021/22.

BBC: Orchestras

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the BBC about the funding of the BBC’s Orchestras.

baroness barran: The BBC is editorially and operationally independent of the Government and as such the Government is not involved in the funding of BBC Orchestras.According to the BBC's 2018/9 Annual Report, the BBC spent £29million in 2019 on 'Orchestras and performing groups'.In the past five years, Arts Council England (ACE) has invested over £107 million in orchestras and related classical music organisations in its National Portfolio. As culture is a devolved matter, this figure excludes funding decisions taken by the devolved administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.Orchestras have also benefited from the Government’s introduction of the Orchestras Tax Relief (OTR), which is helping to support the increase of productions, especially via touring. Since the introduction of the OTR in 2016, £23 million has been paid out relating to 170 claims and 770 productions.

Bankruptcy: Gambling

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Insolvency Service's figures which show gambling to be a feature in 373 bankruptcies last year, an increase from 158 in 2015–16.

baroness barran: Gambling and Other Rash Speculation was recorded as the main cause of insolvency in 2% of the total bankruptcy orders made in 2018/19, or 373 cases. The numbers of bankruptcies with this listed as the primary cause have varied in the last ten years, falling to their lowest point of 158 in 2015/16 and then rising in subsequent years (see Table 1 below). Rises or falls in annual bankruptcy numbers can be complex and will relate to a number of factors such as interest rates and creditor attitudes. Over the same period problem gambling rates in Great Britain have remained stable at under 1% of the adult population. Table 1: Bankruptcy orders where the primary cause was recorded as “Gambling and other rash speculation”, England & Wales, 2008/09 to 2018/191YearTotal Bankruptcy Orders [2]Number of Bankruptcy Orders with Gambling and Other Rash Speculation Listed as the Cause [3,4,5]Percentage of Bankruptcy Orders with Gambling and Other Rash Speculation Listed as the Cause2008/09 [5]72,3837281%2009/10 [5]72,8635431%2010/11 [5]53,3263631%2011/1238,4602011%2012/1329,3251851%2013/1423,5751681%2014/1519,0651631%2015/1615,2191581%2016/1715,3522382%2017/1815,4083002%2018/1916,7253732% Notes:1. Source: The Insolvency Service.2. Total bankruptcy statistics are consistent with National Statistics published by the Insolvency Service at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/insolvency-service-official-statistics.3. The cause of bankruptcy is recorded on the Insolvency Service’s case administration system. These data are management information and have not undergone the same level of quality assurance as the Insolvency Service’s National Statistics outputs.4. The data provided as cause of bankruptcy is reliant on the Insolvency Service’s examiner listing Gambling and Other Rash Speculation as the primary cause of bankruptcy, so it cannot be guaranteed that this figure covers all bankrupts that had gambling debts. The Gambling and Rash Speculation category covers causes other than gambling, but it is not possible to break this down further.5. Data on cause of bankruptcy prior to 2011/12 is from The Insolvency Service’s legacy system, so they cannot assure its accuracy. Following data migration they became aware that some legacy data was not compatible with the new case management system and can therefore be unreliable.

Sports: Gambling

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the sponsorship of sports teams' shirts will be included in their review of gambling.

baroness barran: The Government has committed to review the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. We will announce further details in due course. Gambling sponsorship of sports teams must be socially responsible and must never be targeted at children. The government has also made clear that sporting bodies must consider their responsibilities to fans when entering commercial arrangements.

Football: Children

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with the Football Association to ban children under the age of 18 from heading footballs during training, in order to mitigate the possible associated risk of developing brain disease in later life.

baroness barran: Guidance on training and coaching for grassroots sport is a matter for the sport’s National Governing Body. However, we are encouraged to see the Football Associations of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland putting children’s health and wellbeing at the heart of their provision. It is important that all schools and sports clubs follow guidance on age-appropriate sport participation, and have appropriate measures in place to protect young people from harm, including serious injuries such as concussion.

Basketball: Females

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they give to women's basketball.

baroness barran: For the 2017-21 cycle, Sport England has invested £268,588 in 34 basketball projects over the period including 10 projects for women and girls. These projects include Basketball England’s SlamJam for boys and girls aged 7-11 delivering basketball in a fun way in schools and clubs and Junior NBA created for boys and girls aged 11-13 in secondary schools. Sport England have also awarded ten small grants between 2018-2020 totalling £80,950 in grassroots projects delivering basketball that explicitly target women and girls. Separately Basketball England, who receive Sport England funding, have launched All Girl Basketball. This campaign aims to make girls aged 11-16 aware of opportunities to engage with basketball and convert that awareness into participation.UK Sport are also investing in basketball: for the current funding cycle (2017-21) GB Basketball received £500,000 as a ring fenced grant which was spent between both the men’s and women’s squads. The national women’s team also received an additional £330,500 from UK Sport's Aspiration Fund to support them as part of their qualification campaign for Tokyo 2020. In total GB Basketball have received £830,500 of public funding to support the sport in their Tokyo qualification campaign.